NIGERIA:

1
NIGERIA

• Democratising a Militarised Civil Society
• By Biko Agozino and Unyierie Idem
• Published by Centre for Democracy and
  Development, CDD, Lagos, Nigeria London, UK,
  2001.

2
Executive Summary

• Nigeria is a case study with lessons for other
  nations
• Militarism goes beyond the military and
  implicates pervasive use of force instead of
  dialogue in society
• Family, education, religious, legal, economic,
  and community institutions are paradoxically
  militarised
• Democracy Literacy Classes for all interest
  groups
• Recognition of all those moving away from
  militarism and those increasing democratisation.

3
Analytical Framework

• Attahiru M. Jega (1997), Prolonged nature of
  military rule has constricted democratic space,
  entrenched authoritarianism, and nurtured
  nihilism, (leading to) the increasing
  questioning, if not challenging, of the
  legitimacy of the State.
• In Nigeria and elsewhere

• V.I. Lenin Against Imperialist Warfare
  rejected opportunistic cowardice as well as
  heroic folly.
• A. Gramsci State and Civil Society war of
  manoeuvre and war of the trenches.
• S.Hall Theoretical Perspectives on Racism and
  Ethnicity

4
Militarised Family Relations

• It is normal to beat children and women
• Your wife is not a punch bag, stop wife beating
  today (LRDC)
• Husband as Commander In Chief
• Intimidation of family members by the state
• Paradox of democracy

5
Militarised Education

• Ali Must Go 1978
• Authoritarian Admin.
• Violent Cultism
• The Wole Soyinka v. Muyiwa Awe debate
• Fela Kutis protests
• Eskor Toyo only ideological education can bring
  the country near to democracy

6
Militarised Communities

• Widespread use of force to settle disputes among
  peaceful people
• 1945 General Strike and colonial divide and rule
  riots
• 1956, 1965 and 1966 massacres and civil war
  (1967-1970)
• MASOB, OPC, Odi, Egbesu, Ogoni political
  assassinations
• Edwin Madunagu Nigeria is a country of hungry,
  desperate, betrayed and cynical people Country
  of extremes rich and poor.

7
Militarised Religious Sects

• Article 8 of African Charter S. 35 of 1979 and
  S. 38 of 1999 Nigerian constitution
• Political manipulation of religion cultism
• Fundamentalism and lack of democracy dividend
  K. Fayemi
• Sharia and gender

8
Militarisation of the Judiciary

• Gun-boat criminology since colonial days
• Criminalisation of the opposition, Awolowo
• Supremacy of military decrees from 1966
• Speedy justice and the Weberian bureaucracy
• From Zikists to Ogoni
• From Abiola to Ngige

9
Militarized Economy

• The Royal Niger Company army
• Womens War and Iva Valley Massacres to ethnic
  violence
• Fayemi Bureaucratic-Economic militariat
  entrenched interests
• Militarized commerce by traders
• Military repression of striking workers
  jailing, whipping, sacking
• Since 1990, 3.6 million people have died as a
  result of civil wars and ethnic violence, more
  than 16 times the number killed in wars between
  states-UN HD Report.

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Conclusion Democratisation

• More research, education, conferences
• Democracy audit of the country
• Funding for groups to conduct education
• Looking beyond the country to region
• Looking beyond the region to continent
• Lessons for militarized parts of the world
• Re-assessment of militarism as a value
• Implications of democratized civil society